Iranian Activists Shave Heads To Support Political Prisoners

RFE/RL

Dozens of Iranian men and women have sheared their hair and posted their pictures online to demonstrate solidarity with political prisoners.

The campaign was launched following reports that prison guards had shaved the heads of some political prisoners in Tehran's notorious Evin prison in order to humiliate them after some inmates were reportedly beaten up during an inspection of the facility last week.

Earlier this week, a picture of a prominent jailed human rights lawyer, Abdolfatah Soltani, was posted online showing him with a shaved head. The photo, which was shared widely on social media, appeared to have been taken during an April 21 prison visit. Soltani is reported to have been among the prisoners who were assaulted during the raid on Evin's section 350.

Activists both inside and outside the country are posting their photos on a Facebook page titled "With the Political Prisoners of Evin's Section 350." They are using the Persian hashtag "sarfaraz," or "proud," to promote their campaign.

After the alleged use of force against the inmates sparked protests by the prisoners' families, the head of Iran's prisons organization was removed from his post.

The official, Gholam Hossein Esmaili, has denied reports about the abuse and said that a routine inspection had taken place.

Iranian news agencies reported on April 23 that Esmaili was named head of the justice department of the Tehran province.

The head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, appointed Ali Asghar Jahangir as the country's new prisons chief. Jahangir has served as an adviser to Larijani.